Ive noticed that many specialties have had their own thread of information, both on this forum and others, so thought Mebbe a low end/scout thread might not be a bad one to put together. I won't post anything until I get back home, but perhaps others would like to kick it off?
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Inside a plastic-body Scout motor:
The upper part of the motor field is a movable arm that sequences the motor brush connections for reversing. I stuffed foam in there to make a forward-only motor which is much easier to assemble and runs quieter. Two empty larger holes in the motor frame are for "magne-traction" magnets used on some versions. The two bushings at the bottom are the center-rail pickups.
Many hobbyists give the Scout locos a bad rap, but I have some that run pretty well. They are quite nimble on O27 curves.
Maybe kooljock1, who knows his 2-4-2's, will remind us not all are Scouts, despite Scout-type being used in various publications and on various websites. Some refer to the wheel configuration as Columbias or Columbia-type, including Tandem Associates on their Identifying Lionel Electric Trains web page, although Lionel assigned names such as Apache and Comanche to some Postwar 2-4-2's when they did not refer to locomotives exclusively by cab number.
Tandem Associates echoes what i recall as kooljock1's position, that only 2-4-2's with cab numbers in the 1060 - 1130 range are Scouts (actually TA calls that series both Columbias and Scouts).
My first O gauge train was an early Scout and it served me well until I overloaded the poor thing. It is gone but I have a 1101 and 1110. I have a complete et packed away, to. Ingenius design on the motor.
Not really Scouts but back when TTOS had big monthly meets here, and I can't resist a bargain I wound up with 20 2-4-2's I had read the postwar book and knew which ones were the better ones, all have the metal motor.
The best ones are the prewar with more complete valve gear. I don't know how to post pictures.
I paid between $5 and $45.
My first loco was also a 2-4-2, from the MPC era. Like Dennis I've accumulated a ton of them. Someday I'm going to combine parts and build the "ultimate" Scout. Lionel took the easy way out in the early '80s, but I would like to install a high-quality can motor and worm drive gearbox!
I've never had the courage to take one of the plastic clamshell motors apart. I like the postwar blackened steel motors (from 250, 249, etc.) a lot, and I've observed some interesting variations in components and performance. Surprisingly, the aluminum version used on most MPC-era 4-wheel steamers has more laminations and a larger-diameter armature. Theoretically it should be much more powerful, and it coasts better than the black steel postwar motor, but it has its own set of issues. I'm interested to see where this thread goes!
My first train set was a Scout set with the same motor that ACE is showing above. It was led by Lionel a 6110 steam engine and tender, plus a gondola, Baby Ruth box car and a caboose. That was 1951! It did what Lionel intended it to do: Build an interest in Lionel so that other rolling stock and accessories would be added, resulting in a life-long hobby. It worked!
John Knapp
Erie, not Eerie
Maybe kooljock1, who knows his 2-4-2's, will remind us not all are Scouts, despite Scout-type being used in various publications and on various websites
I took a look through my HSL postwar Lionel catalog archive. From what I see, Lionel only used the "Scout" label from 1948 to 1952. The engines were 1001, 1110, and 1120. The common thread between all the "Scout" sets were the trucks with those odd "manumatic" couples.
Lionel did not consider the 6110 to be part of the Scout series. It came in a set including hybrid trucked cars. The trucks had sheet metal frames with plastic sides, just like the Scout trucks, but they had standard knuckle couplers.
The scout motor doesn't appear in the catalogs again until 1959, when it was used in the 246 Locomotive included in the 1609 "027" 3-Car Steam Freight set
I have the 1101 & the 1110 plus a set in the box with 1110. I get a kick out running them. The cars are plain but real rail cars are plain too. My engine lasted from 1948 until about 1955 when the motor crapped out. By that time I had bought extra cars and was pulling as many cars as it would handle-now I know better-I think. The engine is long gone but my youngest nephew still has the cars so it lives on. An antique dealer has given me some Scouts and I have passed them on to some deserving kids.
C W Burfle posted:
The scout motor doesn't appear in the catalogs again until 1959, when it was used in the 246 Locomotive included in the 1609 "027" 3-Car Steam Freight set
My experience with the 1609 set loco was not too good. My dad bought us a 1609 set for Christmas when they came out, and the locomotive gave endless trouble. Eventually he got us a second set with a 2037. Still have both sets and the 2037, which is now as close to completely worn out as I have ever seen a Lionel loco. Still runs, though!
El Classico posted:thought Mebbe a low end/scout thread
Under that criteria, wouldn't 6110 and other similar engines fit?
I had the uncatalogued 1050 0-4-0 Scout set from 1959. I still have it, and I still run it from time to time, brings back a flood of memories.
I often thought there should be a scout race at some of the annual train functions (like the old HO hustler races)....the little b...ers could sure move.
Dad's 6110 set.
Nice looking set ! My Scout set in a box is a #1115. Somebody gave it to me. About time to break it out and run it.
Under that criteria, wouldn't 6110 and other similar engines fit?
We can discuss anything. Another poster mentioned that what is and what is not a Scout could be clarified. What was the title of this thread?
I acquired a battered 1120 Scout loco in some boxes of "junk" trains. Originally it would have had a plastic motor, but this one was apparently repaired at some point with a metal motor that Lionel made specifically as an upgraded replacement motor for Scout locos. The same metal motor was used in Lionel's 2034 loco (circa 1952), and later in the 249 and 250 Scout locos. Mine has a 3-position reverse unit, but the lockout lever points down just ahead of the cab and is somewhat difficult to reach.
My 1120 is a good performer with the die-cast body and metal motor, not an average Scout !
Agreed not usual
I have several early locos and one complete in the box. I sort of like the Scout, my first Lionel O gauge train. When I run them I limit the number of cars and don't run them until they get hot. My first one I eventually burned up after 8-9years of hard use and pulling trains that were too long. Did what it was supposed to do.
When I got back into three rail, the Scout was maligned as the one Lionel item to avoid. I just idly assumed they were what sold all those Marx #999's, and Lionel's less than successful effort to compete with the thousands of Marx sets. I think I may have somehow acquired one Scout set, and resold it, never trying to run it. Posts above make them sound more useable than that reputation would imply.
Scouts offered (and still do) a lot of fun for a small price. I have quite a few myself and look on them with great nostalgia. Wonderful toys then and now! Marx sets from that postwar era are similar and still pretty neat, too.
colorado hirailer posted:When I got back into three rail, the Scout was maligned as the one Lionel item to avoid. I just idly assumed they were what sold all those Marx #999's, and Lionel's less than successful effort to compete with the thousands of Marx sets. I think I may have somehow acquired one Scout set, and resold it, never trying to run it. Posts above make them sound more useable than that reputation would imply.
Mainly a matter of finding the right ones.
I received an 1110 as my 1st Lionel. Loved the set, and hated when I had to put away after Christmas. Motor went out & when Dad took the boiler off, I said of course it won't run w/o the boiler. Next night he came back with a replacement motor (didn't know until above that the factory had come up with the replacement) Still have the set and it still runs great. I replaced the couplers with wrap on the axle couplers back in the 50s
Ace, I got an 1110 in a box lot at an auction, how does the 1034 motor mount int the Scout shell? I have the motor on hand, since no one will buy the loco in the shape it is in, might as well get it running.
That 1061 was my first ! It became a way of life for me.
Train Doctor posted:Ace, I got an 1110 in a box lot at an auction, how does the 1034 motor mount int the Scout shell? I have the motor on hand, since no one will buy the loco in the shape it is in, might as well get it running.
Do you mean 2034 motor? I understand Lionel made them as a direct-fit replacement for the 1110-11120-1130 (and also similar 200-series Scouts?), but some minor adjustments might be needed. I have a 2034-type motor in a 1120 Scout as mentioned above. Check the parts pages for more info:
http://www.olsenstoy.com/2034.htm
Have you tried to fit your spare motor in your 1110? Got pics?
CHOO-CHOO MIKE posted:That 1061 was my first ! It became a way of life for me.
This is my 1061 Scout, resurrected from junk. I improvised a replacement for the broken pilot, also adapted it from an 0-4-0 to a 2-4-2 with spare parts. Also added crosshead guides and headlight with lens which aren't standard for a 1061. I set it up with a forward-only motor to run on a loop-to-loop layout. It's a lightweight loco so it pulls a lightweight train. Runs good, better on DC !
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